The referees whistled Payne for a flagrant foul and ejected him.

In a futile attempt to keep this rough game from spinning out of control, the referee whistled 12 penalties in the first period.

After 90 minutes, they were tied at zip, so the referee whistled, and so did thousands of others in the place, only derisively, wanting some action.

If it was our day, the referee would have seen it and whistled as a goal.

The referee whistled a total of 38 fouls, 20 by the MetroStars.

But the referees had not whistled the play dead.

In 1949, rule changes allowed play to continue uninterrupted after a referee whistled an ordinary foul, speeding up play.

Through 400 games this season, Jackson said that referees had whistled 10 more flagrant fouls than they did last year.

If no tactical or territorial advantage is gained, the referee will whistle, and give the decision that had been delayed.

Contact is allowed, but a referee will whistle violations for ordinary or exclusion fouls.